Reversible type roller clutch



NOV. 11, 1952 H, p KANEHL 2,617,508

REVERSIBLE TYPE ROLLER CLUTCH Filed Aug. l, 1947 2 SHEETS-SHEET l f l` 4 f 1,/ /6 l, E Q-Z I6 y as /7 3 (tforneg l NOV. 11, 1952 H' P, KANEHL REVERSIBLE TYPE ROLLER CLUTCH 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Filed Aug. l, 1947 Patented Nov. 11, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE REVERSIBLE TYPE ROLLER CLUTCH Hugh P. Kanehl, Spokane, Wash.

Application August 1, 1947, Serial No. 765,523

2 Claims.

My present invention relates to the general class of fiexible shaft couplings which while adapted to different uses are especially designed for the transmission of power in the propulsion of automotive vehicles or trucks equipped with tandem wheels, and the invention relates more specifically to an improved reversible type roller clutch or rotary mechanical friction clutch for axially aligned shafts transmitting power to adjoining drive units for tandem wheels.

In the conventional lineal or straight-through propelling mechanism for automotive trucks with tandem-drive, the Vehicle wheels or tires must be matched very closely or excessive strains are added to the driving mechanism, and additional friction is set up between the rolling surfaces of the wheels or tires and the road-bed.

These additional strains and friction are in direct proportion to the difference in diameters of the sets of wheels or tires on the front and rear driving axles. The smaller wheels are attempting to roll faster and the larger wheels to roll slower in order to each cover the same lineal-distance, while being turned at the same speed, by the straight through solid coupling mechanism.

It is the purpose of my present invention to introduce flexibility into the driving mechanism between the front and rear driving units of a tandem-drive set and at the same time maintain full traction on both driving axles in either direction of rotation, and insure an equalized and uniform transmission of power to both driving units. With my torque-clutch installed, as shown 'in Fig. 1, where differences in wheel or tire sizes are encountered, the wheels or tires of smaller diameters are mounted on the rear driving unit of a tandem-drive, and the larger wheels or tires are mounted on the front driving unit.

Thus the rear, or smaller-diameter wheels or tires will turn at greater speed than the largerdiameter wheels or tires. By interposing my invention, a flexible coupling, or torque-clutch, ,this is made possible and practical through the ablity of the outer, or driven casing, to move faster than the inner driving-member, or impeller-head, in either direction of rotation, thereby relieving all parts of the driving mechanism of all loads, except those required to carry and propel the vehicle. The wheels or tires are also thereby devoid of any frictional load except that imposed by carrying the load and providing traction.

The invention consists essentially in certain 2 i novel features of construction and combinations and arrangements of parts involving an impeller head, an enclosing housing or socket, and an intermediate torque cage with friction rollers for forward and reverse transmission of power, as will hereinafter be described and more specifically set forth in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated a complete example of a physical embodiment of my invention wherein the parts are combined and arranged in accord with one mode I have devised for the practical application of the principles of my invention. It will however be understood that changes and alterations are contemplated and may be made in these exemplifying drawings and mechanical structures, within the scope of my claims, without departing from the principles of the invention.

Figure 1 is a fragmentary and foreshortened view in elevation disclosing two drive units of a tandem arrangement for the wheels of 'a truck, together with a shaft coupling embodying'my invention.

Figure 2 is an enlarged transverse vertical sectional view through the iiexible torque coupling at line 2--2 of Fig. 1.

Figure 3 is a sectional view through the impeller-head or drive member and the housing or driven member, as at line 3-3 of Fig. 2, showing also a partial plan View of the rotary cage and friction vrollers of the clutch.

Figure 4 is a horizontal sectional view of portions of the impeller head and housing or socket, showing the relation thereto of the centrifugally operated weights forming presser heads.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary face View of Fi'g. 4 with the head plate of the housing removed, showing part of one of the slip rings of the rolle cage.

In order that the general arrangement and utility of parts may readily be understood I have designated the front wheel F and the rear wheel R of a tandem arrangement lin Fig. 1, each having an axle A equipped with a gear wheel W, while the front wheel F hasa drive worm gear D and the rear wheel R has a driven worm gear G, as indicated by dotted lines.

Power is transmitted to the driving worm gear D in usual manner, and a power shaft or spline shaft i is connected thereto for transmitting power through the differential coupling, thence through a coupling shaft S and universal joints E and I-I to the worm gear G of the rear wheel R.

Two of the arms of the flexible joint E are rigid with or Iintegral with a circular head plate 2 that is bolted at 3 to an open end cylindrical housing 4 having an open center end wall 5.

A circular impeller head or core 6 is rotatably mounted within the housing and provided with an exterior hub 1 that is rigidly mounted, as by' splines 8 upon the power shaft I.

For clutching or coupling the relatively rotatable impeller head 6 and the rotor or housing 2, the impeller head is provided with a peripheral series of: outwardly open pocketsV `9 each having a. tangentially arranged' wall or bearing'facev I0 and a solid cylindrical roller I I is retained at its opposite ends within the pocket by a pair of slip' rings I2 and I3 forming lateral: parts-oiaftorr K sional cage mounted within the housing with ring I2 against a at face of the impeller head,l

and ring I3 seated in an exteriorannulargroove I4 on the opposite face of the impeller head.

Each roller is thus carried, or floated, inl its` peripheral pocket and conned by the cage be- Weens-'ans outer: arcuateY or. concavev4 wallqof. the housing; andztherinnen tangentialn plane bearing fact; ai pocket thefheadgso. that. either a forward or: af reverserotation. of' theimpeller will 1thrilst "the' roller, into.` a: decreasing space of apocket, therebyimparting a'vfrictionalV drive between the impeller 'head andv the surrounding housing;V

The-cage,` iny -eachpo'c1 et,k is providedv withv a pair of, impact bars=or standards, I5, I5, one at each`l side of! a roller; and these bars with their ends' abutting against the laterally spaced slip rin'gszfoiV then cage are secured to the rings by tiescrewsf f6: passed throughbores drilled in the into.- the; slip ring' Iii- V For; actuating the: torsional cage to tum on its slip ringsv and; press one "annular seriesv of impact barsaagainst 'the rollers, a series of centrifugally operated weightsfor presser-'heads- Iz'I- of solid cylihdricall shape are mounted inY pairsin laterally operr recesses; I 8- ofi the impeller head;

As best seen in Fig. 4 these laterally open recesses-oricavities I8'f'in the opposite facestof the impfellerV headarefangular'irr'cross section, they f are tangentially arranged about the center ofthe ccn.1pling,. and4 at their opposite ends they comxnun'i'cateY with. or.v open-` intothe ends of the pocketsS-l iiyfV thisy arrangementYV of alternatmg pockets and recesses in thev impeller head, the loosely mounted weights orA presser: heads I'I in their recesses, are projected under centrifugal1force, oir"'i'.onqueq` with.,:their front orforward'. ends entering adjoinings;pdckets for` positive. engagement withi-the iinpactrbars;y This pressing engagement voivttret'-presse'rfheads;'with the:l impact' bars turns ther'cagie,v one set of. thev bars. pushes against the rollers forcing them into the decreasing space toward'v oneendof the: pockets,A andthe friction'aI engagement;A between the rollersI and the tangential bearing faces of the impeller head together with theffrictional contact of the rollers with the inner periphery ofthe housing, transmits rotary; motion and power toA the housing and theparts: driven thereby.

Upon reverse rotation of the shaft I ,v another set. of. impact barsv arefforced into engagement with` the rollers for acoupling action between the impeller head and the housing, and a reverse rotary motion and power are transmitted to the parts driven by the coupling.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new Vand desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A reversible rotary coupling for two axially alined shafts lying between tandem rear axles, comprising an impeller head adapted to be secured to one of said shafts and formed in its peripheryy with' af' pluralityv of: circumferentially spacedA pockets each presenting a tangentially disposed bearing wall, said head also being provided with bores connecting adjacent pockets and each` so locatedas to occupy the chord of a circle traversingtheY pockets and taken about the center'oi thev head as an axis, a cylindrical housing enclosing;;the pockets and adapted to be secured to the other said shaft, the enclosing wall of sai'dhousing acting with the tangential development of the bearing walls of the pockets to prodncrenarrowing throats at the opposite'endacircumferentiallyr considered, oi'V each pocket, are.'- spective transversely arranged roller: mounted in each sai-d pocketl to occupyl a position-'between the tangentialr wall' of the pooket'and the pocketenclosingfinner'wall of the housing,V a Yrespective slidable plunger housed in each said bore', and means arrangedv andi adapted to` be brought by said plungers intooperative engagement with' the rollers for inluencingfthe latter to move into said narrowing throats described lat theV ends. of the pocketsl to causeV the head and' housing to rotatev in unison'when' the rotational velocity of the headV is suddenly changed andrregardless of the direction of rotation of the head, said plungers admitting to a minor amount of free movement endwise to their axes so as to be freel to gain momentum relativeV to the impeller head and the said: means before acting on the latter.

2'. The structurelofY claim 1- wherein said means comprises ring members disposed at opposite ends of the headY to closey the sides of the pockets, said -ring members being shiftable freely in` a rotary direction relative to both the'h'ead and theenclosing'housing, and cross-rods uniting-r said'ring members and extending through the pockets to occupy positions f between the rollers and the plungers and spaced from the latter, the crossrods acting to engage and move the rollers by force-ofthrust derived from the plungers.

HUGH P. KANEHL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of'this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number' Name Date 1,397,819 Munters Nov. 22, 1921 1,738,212 Smith Dec. 3, 1929 1,844,286 Joseph Feb. 9, 1932 1,875,858y Doring Sept. 6, 1932 1,906,560 Fishburn MayV 2, 1933 2,061,288`V Murray Nov. 1'7, 1936 2,172,653 Flogans Sept. 12, 1939 2,262,330 MacNeil et al Nov. 111, 1-941 2,292,988 Bloomeld et al'. Aug. 11, 1942 2,350,627 Malachowski June 6`, 1944 2,433,553 Heintze` Dec. 30, 1947 

